Ordnance-loading device.



No. 797,380. PATENTED AUG. 15, 1905. U. P. E. SCHNEIDER.

ORDNANOE LOADING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED OUT. 4. 1904.

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PATENTED AUG. 15, 1905.

C. P. E. vSCHNEIDFR. URDNANGE LOADING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED OUT. 4. 1904.

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PATENTED AUG. 15, 1905.

U. .P. E. SCHNEIDER. ORDNANGE LOADING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 4. 1904.

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'ORDNANCE-LOADING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 15, 1965.

Application filed October 4, 1904. Serial No. 227,131.

T 0 all whom, 712? may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES PRosPnR EU- GENE SCHNEIDER, of Le Creusot, Saone-et- Loire, France, have invented a new and useful Ordnance-Loading Device, which is fully set forth in the following specification.

WVith ordnance in which the ammunition is not constituted either by a single cartridge or by a projectile and a case containing the entire powder charge a rammer is employed for successively bringing the various components of the complete charge into position in the bore of the gun. The employment of rammers (whether they be manual or mechanical) necessitates the expenditure of a certain amount of time for their operation and the provision of a certain amount of space for their reception.

This invention has for its object a ramming appliance or apparatus which will be continuous in its action and which will permit of dispensing with the space for the ordinary rammer and also with its preliminary operations in working, so that the duration of the charging or loading of the gun will be shortened accordingly.

The ramming appliance or apparatus is characterized by a supporting carriage or cradle receiving successively the projectile and the powder charges. This carriage is provided with two chain-wheels carrying an endless chain furnished with pushers and having at its forward extremity a pivot for a plate. It is also furnished with an automatic locking device for engagement with the breech end of the gun and with a stop that comes against the barrel for controlling a releasing device for the endless chain. The carriage is mounted upon a truck, trolley, or any other suitable support arranged to serve for its conveyance and for carrying the operating mechanism for the endless chain and a cam-slot for actuating the mechanism employed for effecting the automatic raising and lowering of the aforesaid pivoted plate.

' The accompanying drawings represent by way of example a convenient manner of carrying the invention into practice.

Figure 1 is a side elevation showing the carriage, the ramming mechanism, and the parts for connecting them with the support or truck by which the ammunition is conveyed in position behind the breech of the gun. Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation of the same, showing some of the parts more clearly; and Fig. 3 is an end elevation, partly in section. Fig. 4is a sectional elevation showing different phases in the operation of the apparatus.

s is the truck or trolley, having at its upper part a transverse housing or recess L for the carriage a. This carriage is provided with rollers w, traveling upon rails 1", carried by the walls of the said recess 4:. The carriage also has two shafts ta, Fig. 2, upon which are mounted the two chain-wheels 0 0), around which passes the endless chain 6, carrying pushers. In the example illustrated these pushers comprise arms or levers (Z as, constantly remaining parallel and projecting. in opposite directions, so as to come when the chain moves periodically and alternately into an identical position. These arms each carry at their free extremity a roller. The recess 4: also serves as a support for a shaft y, upon which are mounted a wheel 6 for driving the endless chain 7) and a crank z for actuating said wheel. 1t will of course be understood that this crank may be substituted by some part receiving movement from a suitable motor by means of appropriate transmission gear. The recess 4. has the cam-slot h, Fig. 4:, of suitable form, for guiding a roller 2', connected by bell crank mechanism 1'70 Z to the pivot 5 of the plate f, said pivot being mounted on the carriage a. The said carriage has at its front portion the spring-bolt m for automatically locking the carriage to a keeper 6 on the gun-barrel, and the carriage also has a spring-stopn, which, according as its spring is extended or compressed, brings a pawl 0 into or out of engagement with a ratchetwheel g, keyed to the shaft 10.

The operation of the apparatus is as fol.- lows: The truck or trolley s, carrying the projectile 1, arranged upon the carriage a, the powder charges 2 and 3, and an extension piece or pusher 9 having been brought behind the gun-breech and the breech opened, Fig. 2, the Wheel 6 is revolved in the direction indicated by the arrow.- This wheel travels upon the endless chain I), which is rendered motionless relatively to the chain wheels, owing to the engagement of the pawl 0 with the ratchet-wheel g, but receives longitudinal movement, together with the chain-wheels,and thus communicates movement to the carriage a in a direction to bring it and the projectile thereon toward the breech. During this movement of the carriage the plate f is caused to turn downward about its pivot as a result of the displacement of the roller in the fixed cam-slot it. The said roller and the parts 1' 0 Z which it operates, therefore move from the position indicated in Fig. 1 to that in which they are shown in Fig. at. As soon as therplatef is in position in the barrel the carriage a is automatically stopped and locked to the barrel. The stop a in striking the rear face of the barrel causes the pawl 0, to which it is connected by the lever 7, to be raised, thus releasing the ratchet-wheel 9. At the same time the bolt m engages with the keeper 6. The carriage a now being stationary and fixed, the endless chain rotates and the rollerpusher (Z rams the projectile 1 into the barrel. When said projectile having entered the barrel is upon the point of being left by the lever cl, the powder charge 2 is placed upon the carriage and the second roller-pusher .7}, which has assumed the initial position of the lever (Z, rams this powder charge, which in its movement pushes in front of it the projectile. A similar operation takes place with regard to the powder charge 3. In order to bring the projectile and charges into proper position within the charge-chamber of the gun, the extension piece or pusher p, Fig. 3, is employed and is operated in a similar manner to that of the powder charges. When the loading is finished, the wheel 6 is operated in the reverse direction, thereby actuating the chain, which comes to rest when one of the arms (Z or w encounters the springbolt 9 on the carriage a, said spring-bolt being such that it will be immovable in this direction of movement of the chain, although it is capable of giving way in the opposite direction of movement of said chain. The chain having thus been rendered motionless during its return movement again forms a rack for the wheel 6, which when the bolt m is manually released from its keeper 6, continuing to rotate, brings the carriage back to its original position. The plate f is at the same time lifted automatically and withdraws the extension piece or pusher p, which is replaced in position upon the truck or trolley s, as shown in Fig. 8. As the stop a leaves the rear face of the barrel the pawl 0 is permitted to reengage with the ratchet-wheel g in readiness to again stop the rotation of the chainwheel 1) and the movement of the chain 5 in the direction of the barrel.

VVhatI claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United'States, is

1. A continuous ammunition-ramming appliance or apparatus in which there is a supporting cradle or carriage for successively receiving the projectile, the powder charges and an extension piece or pusher, said carriage having chain gearing furnished with pushers, and also having a spring-stopconnected with a pawl-and-ratchet contrivance in such a manner that so long as the carriage remains out of contact wlth the gun-barrel, the l chain operates as a rack for an actuatingwheel and on the rotation of the latter imparts a longitudinal movement to the carriage, and then, after the release of the pawland-ratchet contrivance by the stoppage of the carriage against the breech end of the gun, travels independently of the carriage, thereby bringing pushers on the chain successively against the projectile, the powder charges and an extension piece manually placed on said carriage, for the purpose specified.

2. In combination, a munition-carriage and munition-ramming mechanism on said carriage, actuating means for said carriage and ramming mechanism and engaging the latter mechanism,alockingdevice normallyrestraining the operation of said ramming mechanism but permitting the actuating means to continue operating to move the carriage, and means releasing the locking device to permit the operation of the ramming mechanism and stopping of the carriage in the termination of its extreme forward movement.

3. In combination, a munition-carriage and munition-ramming mechanism on said carriage, actuating means for said carriage and ramming mechanism and engaging the latter mechanism,alocking device normally restraining the operation of said ramming mechanism but permitting the actuating means to continue operating to move the carriage, releasing means for the locking device actuated on the termination of the forward movement of the carriage to set in operation the ramming mechanism, and to stop the forward movement of the carriage, and a cam-actuating charging-plate on the forward end of the carriage.

4. In combination, a munition-carriage, an endless sprocket chain and wheels for the same on said carriage, said chain being provided with one or more ramming devices, actuating means engaging said chain to move the carriage and rotate the chain, a pawl-and-ratchet device normally restraining the rotation of said chain on its sprocket-wheels while the carriage is in motion, and a push-rod to release said pawl on the contact of said rod with the breech of the gun, thereby stopping the carriage and permitting the movement of the chain with its ramming devices to push forward the munition.

5. In combination, a munition-carriage, an endless sprocket-chain and wheels for the same on the said carriage, the said chain being provided with one or more ramming devices, actuating means engaging said chain'to move said carriage and rotate the chain, means normally restraining the rotation of said chain on its sprocket-wheels while the carriage is in motion, means releasing said restraining means to set in rotation said chain to push forward the munition and to stop said carriage, and a pivoted charging-plate having mechanism, locking devices normally restraining the operation of said ramming mechanism while said carriage moves in either direction, and a releasing device on the forward end of the carriage for one of said locking devices.

7. In combination, a munition-carriage, an endless sprocket-chain and wheels for the same on said carriage said chain being provided with ramming devices, actuating means engaging said chain to move said carriage and rotate said chain, restraining means for said sprocket-chain to prevent its rotation during the movement of the carriage, a push-rod on the carriage releasing said restraining means when said rod impinges against the breech of the gun, thereby permitting the ramming devices on the sprocket-chain to push forward the munition, and a spring-catch on the carriage for locking the carriage to the gunbreech during the charging of the gun.

8. In combination, a truck, a series of stationary munition-supports, a munition-carriage on said truck and movable parallel to said supports, a munition-ramming mechanism on said carriage, actuating means for said carriage and ramming mechanism and engaging the latter mechanism, a locking device normally restraining the operation of said ramming mechanism during the movement of said carriage and means releasing the said locking device to permit the operation of the ramming mechanism and stopping of the carriage on the termination of its extreme forward movement.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

CHARLES PROSPER EUGENE SCHNEIDER.

Witnesses:

EDMOND BLAIsE, JEAN GAMET. 

